Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti is Chairman of the 80 plus year old Nalli business house, known for quality silk products. Nalli has recently entered into the jewellery sector also.

Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti has a penchant for quality and customer care. In recognition of his contribution to trade and industry the Government of India conferred on him the prestigious title Padma Shri, a national honour. Recognizing his patronage to arts and culture the Tamil Nadu Government presented him the title Kalaimamani.

An apolitical Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti is part of public life. He is a liberal donor for arts, culture and education. He is on the governing body of many arts and cultural bodies and educational institutions. The monks of the Ramakrishna order who recognised his public service, honesty and humility, have made him Vice-President of the governing bodies of the Mission’s educational institutions. He has been Chairman of Kapaleeswarar temple for three terms. He has also been a member of the Trust Board of the Tirupathi, Tirumala Devasthanams for a term. He is the Founder, President of Sneha, an NGO counselling the depressed.

Now Patron, Tamil Chamber of Commerce, Chetti is also a member in other Chambers like Indo Australian Chamber and Indo-Japan Chamber. He is respected by industrial bodies like FICCI and CII. Now a Member of the Planning Board of the Tamil University, Thanjavur, he has been a Member of the Senate, Bharathiar University, Member, Central Silk Board and Member, South Zone Cultural Centre, Chennai and Patron of The Madras Progress Union Higher Secondary School.

Nalli Chettiar is invited for lectures by business schools and professional bodies. A man of impeccable honesty, he has never tapped his influence in public life for personal or professional gains. Everything is service for him. Whatever public service he takes up, he does it whole heartedly, with a classic professional touch.

Most Presidents, Governors, prime ministers, chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and others States, top civil servants and some ministers in Singapore and Malaysia know him well. He is also well-introduced to the diplomatic community in India. Former U.S. Ambassador in India Frank Wisner and U.S. Consul General Timothy Hauser held him in esteem with their frequent interaction with him on arts, culture and business. He is a pleasant host to diplomats on their visits to the silk town Kanchipuram and the temples in around Chennai.

Born in 1940 in Kanchipuram he had his schooling in Chennai. Having lost his father half way through his schooling, Chetti, a brilliant rank-holder gave up his dream of college education, wrote his school final examinations in March 1956 and entered the family’s textile shop. During the last five decades he is the goodwill of the business group. He has developed a 200 sq. ft. silk store into a three floor 30,000 sq.ft. showroom and opened over a score of domestic and overseas branches.

Customer care is his core strength. He is an endearing personality to all his customers. He is willing to walk an extra mile to please his customers, beyond the trade confines.

Besides those in the U.S. and Singapore the Nalli group has six branches in Chennai, four in Bangalore, three in Delhi, two in Mumbai, two in Coimbatore, one each in Hyderabad, Madurai, Tiruchi, Tirunelveli and Kanchipuram. Ahmedabad and Puducheri will join the list shortly. An expansion and wide patronage through generations is possible simply because of the goodwill Nalli has created with its quality products and customer care.

A voracious reader, he is part of the annual Book Fair in Chennai. Some years ago he paid a week long visit to London to buy and read books in the British Library. He has built up a rich home library, an envy of academic institutions and industrialists. He has visited several countries on business and pleasure. He has written many books on management and ethics. Two of them have won awards from the Tamil Nadu Government. Some have been translated into English and other India languages. He knows Tamil, Telugu, English and Hindi.